An Evaluation of eScience Lab Kits for Online Learning

Higher education online science courses generally lack the hands-on components essential in understanding theories, methods, and techniques in chemistry and biology. Companies like eScience Labs construct kits to facilitate online learning, which provide students with hands-on activities relevant to their science courses. In order to evaluate ease, efficacy, and comprehension of the forensic science kits by eScience Labs was completed while writing observations of the activities during and after completion; the lab manual learning objectives were compared to results of activities and two stopwatches took elapsed time of each activity to compare with the stated times in the kit manual. This method determined that the eScience manual does not provide enough information for a college freshman to fully understand the topic; however, combining these labs with professor provided online lectures would allow full comprehension of the forensic science applications or techniques. Recommendations to obtain maximum learning outcomes include requiring the completion of prerequisites like algebra and general chemistry. With these aspects combined, the eScience lab kit is a great addition to an introductory forensic science course as it provides safe and interactive hands-on activities

A Comparison Between Visual Imagery Strategy and Conventional Strategy in The Teaching of English For Science

The main purpose of the study was to investigate and compare the effectiveness between visual imagery strategy and conventional strategy in the teaching of English for Science and Technology. A total of 89 students (n=89) were assigned to two groups, where each group underwent three phases of the experiment - 1) Pre-test Phase, 2) Treatment Phase, and 3) Post-test Phase. In this study, visual imagery strategy was a teaching procedure that incorporated the use of visuals and the forming of images that suggested the kind of representations students need to conjure within the context of the topic being taught. Conventional strategy was the teaching method prescribed by the English teacher in which students' attention were directed to important facts and concepts pertaining to the topic. Evaluation to ascertain students' le'ariing achievement was based on their pre-test and post-test scores obtained as participants performed the Language Achievement test, which included evaluation on reading comprehension and writing skills. Analysis was also done on their language functions, vocabulary tasks, reading comprehension, and essay writing skills from the science- and technical-based lessons taught to the students. The results of the study was reported in accordance with the hypotheses developed which compared the effectiveness between visual imagery strategy and conventional strategy on dependent variables such as reading comprehension achievement, writing skills and vocabulary achievement, as well comparing the effectiveness between the two strategies used among low English proficiency and high English proficiency students. Data analysis indicated that visual imagery strategy produced significant main effect on students' total reading comprehension and writing achievement, as compared to conventional strategy (F(1,84) = 17.55, p < .000), but there was no significant interaction effect between proficiency level and type of treatment applied (F(1,84) = .895, p > .347, with a very small effect size (eta squared = .011). Based on reading comprehension scores alone, it was found that visual imagery strategy produced significant main effect on students' reading comprehension achievement, as compared to conventional strategy (F(1,84) = 14.03, p < .000; eta squared = .143), but again, there was no significant interaction effect between proficiency level and type of treatment applied (F(1,84) = .002, p > .620; eta squared = .010). Based on writing scores alone, it was found that visual imagery did not produce significant main effect on students' writing achievement as compared to conventional strategy(F(l,84) = 1.27, p = .261). However, there was significant interaction effect between proficiency level and the treatments applied in determining students' writing achievement (F(1,84) = 1.06, p < .041, with a small effect size (eta squared = .012). Data analysis also indicated that visual imagery strategy (M=9.93, SD=2.98) did not produce significant differential effect on students' vocabulary skills performance during the treatment phase, as compared to the conventional strategy: (M=9.37, SD=3.51; t(87)=.802, p=.425). Students' responses regarding their knowledge and perception of visual imagery strategy and its application on teaching reading comprehension and writing skills in English for Science and Technology also favored the use of visuals and imagery instructions. Lastly, it was found that students agree that visual imagery strategy should be incorporated in English for Science and Technical lessons as it helped students understand scientific and technical passages better during reading-instruction. The implication of the study suggests that visual imagery strategy can be beneficial for students learning English for Science and Technology as the strategy promoted the recall of previous knowledge and provided interaction with the content. Visual imagery strategy as a teaching method should be utilized to its full potential, as it can be beneficial in facilitating the teaching and learning of English for science and technical reading comprehension and other language skills

The Effect of Multiple Formats on Understanding Complex Visual Displays

Students in introductory science courses frequently have difficulty comprehending complex graphics such as contour maps. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), because of its ability to convey the same information in different formats, may help students gain necessary graphic interpretation skills. This article describes a research project in which students practiced reading two temperature maps in either a standard black and white contour or a color-enhanced contour format. They were then divided into groups and tested using only standard contour maps. The tests examined comprehension of the distribution of sea surface temperature, oceanographic phosphate concentration, and brain activation. Results suggest that having students practice with differently formatted maps of the same information improves later comprehension of standard contour maps. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Rekonstruksi Sosial Terhadap Keterampilan Berfikir Kreatif Dan Pemahaman Konsep IPS

This research aims at investigating the effect of social reconstruction learning model on creative thinking ability and social science concept comprehension. It is a quasi-experiment with The Posttest Only Control Group Design and the sample size of 60 students. The collected data were analyzed using MANOVA with the assistance of SPSS 17.00 for Windows. There were two instruments for data collection; they are creating thinking ability test and social science concept comprehension test. The results of the data analysis are as follows: first, social science concept comprehension of students learning with social reconstruction learning model is significantly better than those with conventional learning model (Fobs = 71.92; p&lt;0.05). Second, creative thinking ability of students learning with social reconstruction learning model is significantly better than those with conventional learning model (Fobs = 79.62; p&lt;0.05). Third, social science concept comprehension and creative thinking ability of students learning with social reconstruction learning model are significantly better than those with conventional learning model (Fobs = 71.92; p&lt;0.05). Based on the above findings, it is concluded than there is a positive effect of of social reconstruction learning model on creative thinking ability and the comprehension of social science concept

Postgraduates' science comprehension monitoring in EFL

INTRODUCTION. Nowadays, accessing the European labour market opportunities implies having a high command of English. For this reason, most Spanish universities offer their Bachelor Degrees/Undergraduate Degrees in English. Learning at university, especially in distance learning, strongly depends on the student's own comprehension monitoring when reading instructional materials, usually expository texts. The present work compares comprehension monitoring (CM) in Spanish and in English of Spanish university students with a high level of English proficiency. A replication study is developed to increase the validity of the interesting results obtained on English-Spanish differences in CM at micro and macro-structural levels. METHOD. Two related empirical studies were carried out: the second one aimed at replicating the first one in a different academic context. In Study 1, thirty-three post-graduate students of a Master's Degree in Teaching Training for Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO), Upper Secondary Education (Bachillerato), Vocational Training and Language Teaching (Specialising in English Language) participated. They read three texts in English and three in Spanish in order to judge their comprehensibility. Following the error detection paradigm micro and macro-structural inconsistencies were embedded in the texts. RESULTS. Results showed that students' CM was better in Spanish than in English as expected but, in addition, an intriguing interaction effect CM-level X Language was found: in English, students' Micro-structural CM was more effective than their Macro-structural CM, whereas when reading in Spanish, the differences vanished. Study 2 was conducted with twenty-six students of a Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics. Results replicated the interaction effect found in Study1. DISCUSSION. Although students had an advanced English level, differences between the two languages, especially at macro-structural level, still remained. This suggests that English teaching has to be improved, at least in order to guarantee suitable comprehension of long texts. Results also suggest possible processing L1-FL differences. Although some hypotheses are offered to explain these differences, these should be further contrasted in future experiments

Assessing narrative comprehension in young pre-school children

The assessment of narrative comprehension among young pre-school children is important for early identification of children with language impairment. However, such narrative comprehension assessment tools are currently unavailable in Hong Kong. This study aimed to develop an oral narrative comprehension measure, the Chinese Joint Story Retell test (CJSR), for young pre-school children by adapting the Joint Story Retell test originally developed in Canada. Results showed that performance of CJSR was age-sensitive to the younger population of pre-school children and displayed convergent validity with a traditional comprehension measure. Although further investigation on the measure is necessary, this study suggested that CJSR is a potentially valid and appropriate measure for assessing narrative comprehension of younger pre-school children.published_or_final_versionSpeech and Hearing SciencesBachelorBachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science

Handwriting : an instrument of understanding and empathy

Relationships between teacher and student can be improved by a new way of approaching the world of teenagers by using graphological techniques which allow a better comprehension of the teenagers’ psychological points of view. Through the science of graphology which examines handwritten texts, the characteristics of the personality and the attitudes of the writer can be recognized. This method is essentially based on a psychological rule which says that every unconscious or conscious psychological content becomes manifest through some kind of expression. It provides useful tools for improving the teachers’ abilities to listen and to understand their students properly.peer-reviewe

Three novel science activities relating to the structure of the atom, bioinformatics, and the denaturation of protein

Plan B Paper. 2013. Master of Science in Education- Physics--University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Physics Department. 30 leaves. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 10).This paper describes three novel activities that were designed to teach difficult scientific concepts to a wide age range of students (7th through 11th grade). The subject of the three activities include the structure of the atom, bioinformatics, and protein denaturation. Each section within the paper includes background information and material lists necessary for the activity, in addition to a procedure and reflection. The two models of learning used to analyze the activities were Bloom's Taxonomy and the Constructivist Theory. In Bloom's Taxonomy, there are six levels in the Cognitive domain: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation (in order from lowest to highest). As a student progresses from the lower levels to the higher levels, their comprehension and mastery of the subject increases. According to Constructivism, a learner needs to be active in the learning process so that they can give meaning to their experiences. This happens when the learner reconciles their experiences to something they previously held to be true

Local text cohesion, reading ability and individual science aspirations: key factors influencing comprehension in science classes

In response to the concern of the need to improve the scientific skills of school children, this study investigated the influence of text design (in terms of text cohesion) and individual differences, with the aim of identifying pathways to improving science education in early secondary school (Key Stage 3). One hundred and four secondary school children (56 females, 48 males), aged 12–13 years took part in the study. To assess the influence of local cohesion (lexical and grammatical links between adjacent sentences) in science texts, we measured students’ comprehension (through multiple choice questions) of science text that was high and low in local cohesion. To explore the role of individual differences, students completed tests to measure general reading ability, general intelligence, facets of conscientiousness, science self-concept and individual, friends and family aspirations in science. Students were more accurate in answering comprehension questions after reading text that was high in cohesion than low in cohesion, suggesting that high local text cohesion improved students’ comprehension of science text. Reading ability predicted increased comprehension for both text designs. Individual aspirations in science accounted for unique variance for comprehension for high cohesion text. Implications for the teaching of secondary school science are discussed